Life in the Goan Twilight Zone:
By Cyprian Fernandes
(with a lot
of help from friends around the world)
Once upon a
time, the Goan communities peppered around Eastern Africa celebrated social,
sports and other related activities that were the realm of the British upper
class. With their social clubs peppered around Eastern Africa, they introduced
various aspects of Goan and Portuguese social traditions and dances as well.
Goa to this day continues to bask in the glory of centuries-old traditional
Konkani music and dance and the same taste for sports and other leisure
activities they enjoyed in their once eternal Goa. However, having left Africa
(after independence) for the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany
and various other places on the map. Everywhere they went, they renewed
their thirst and hunger for the social life they had enjoyed in Goa and Eastern
Africa. Their social events in their new home around the world were just as
successful as those they knew in Goa and Eastern Africa. However, time, old
age, illness and the Twilight Zone are culling all those social and sports
events
However, the story of the Goan migrants from Africa, Goa, Portugal and elsewhere will continue to be told for generations to come because it will be our children and their children and subsequent generations who will keep the candle alight, tell the story of a formidable community with links to Goa, Portugal and elsewhere.
Life in the Goan Twilight Zone:
By Cyprian Fernandes
(with a lot
of help from friends around the world)
Once upon a
time, the Goan communities peppered around Eastern Africa celebrated social,
sports and other related activities that were the realm of the British upper
class. With their social clubs peppered around Eastern Africa, they introduced
various aspects of Goan and Portuguese social traditions and dances as well.
Goa to this day continues to bask in the glory of centuries-old traditional
Konkani music and dance and the same taste for sports and other leisure
activities they enjoyed in their once eternal Goa. However, having left Africa
(after independence) for the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany
and various other places on the map. Everywhere they went, they renewed
their thirst and hunger for the social life they had enjoyed in Goa and Eastern
Africa. Their social events in their new homes around the world were just as
successful as those they knew in Goa and Eastern Africa. However, time, old
age, illness and the Twilight Zone are culling all those social and sports
events
There is hope
… in our children that they will carry on the mantle of celebrating all things
Goan and memories of lives in other countries even if this only involves
their parents and their siblings. Sadly, one of the early victims around the
world is the death of Konkani among the young. I am also told while their
Goaness with family and friends, they would prefer to be Canadian, American,
Australian, British etc
For most of
us who were forced out of Eastern Africa father time is taking its toll in more
ways than we can remember. News of the passing of many friends strikes a bitter
blow (borne with a prayer and surrender to God’s will) almost daily to Goan
hearts all around the world. Still, those who can, cling with uncanny bravery
to a lifestyle many of us can only dream of. Even old age continues to tease us,
at least in Canada and maybe the UK, we ageing migrants bravely keep alive as
much as we can and celebrate as much as we can those festivities that were to
remain in our hearts and minds. Perhaps in Canada rather than anywhere else,
the lifestyle we knew (maybe an even better lifestyle for some) survives with a
gusto.
A friend told
me recently: “The Goan Overseas
Association is certainly doing a fine job in Toronto. They have a great
vision of bringing the youth to be part of the Goan cultural tradition as well as
looking after the welfare of us ageing seniors by running afternoon programs.
The Westend Seniors Club is another well-run, and supported by many.
Evening events have curtailed many Seniors from attending as night driving is
an issue or the loss of a spouse means they have to ask for rides. Also, the
saying is the crowd is not what they are used to seeing, with many new faces
gracing the events. This is a good thing to keep the Club alive, but
inhibitions in making new friends are hard for some resulting in staying home
and here is where mental illness sneaks in.”
The Dr Ribeiro Goan School events in the UK but especially in
Canada were sensational. However, I hope they can hold on for a few years more.
The GOA of NSW was founded by Goans mainly from Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania and a few from the Gulf States. The response to all their
feast days and sports occasions was tremendous. Victoria and NSW were among the
first to exchange sports visits. NSW was the first to celebrate World Goa
Day except they called it Goencho Bazaar. Today, the GOA survives mainly
because of arrivals from the Gulf, Goa and elsewhere. There are not many East
African Goans at their functions. Once upon a time, it was heaven on earth.
Another innovation in Sydney was the Friday Club in which
Tony Reg D’Souza used to meet with family and friends for a drink every Friday.
They were soon by other interested friends. Today, it is limping along with
around three friends burning the night oil and having a drink or two.
Victoria GOA was a similar case. There are not many East
African Goans at their functions but like NSW they survive and prosper with the
newcomers.
The Perth GOA club here in the West was founded by a
handful of migrants mostly from Kenya and I am proud that one of them was my
husband Victor Mendonca & his amigos Steve DeSouza Fernando Aquino
Cyril Dos Santos & others whose names escape me now. This Club is still
alive & thriving as far as I am aware.
Who can ever
forget the glory days of the Kampala Goan Institute, Dar es Salaam Goan
Institute, the Mombasa Goan Institute, the Nairobi Goan Institute and the
Railway Goan Institute? And, of course, the other little Goan Institutes in
places like Kisumu, Nakuru, Tanga, Jinja, Entebbe, Kitale where Mervyn “Bwana
Karani” was the president for many years etc.
There was a Goan Institute in Nyeri, which was very popular in the
1960s. There were about 13-14 families who were quite social and used to meet
up almost every weekend at the institute. Paloma Fernandes’ father John Gomes
who is now 90 years old was part of this team. When the Goan expatriates left
Nyeri, they sold the club for about Ksh, 300,000 at the time and put it in a UK
bank account. The interest of the money was to be sent to Pillar every year to
pay for a priest to complete his education. To date, this carries on.
It was not always song and dance. When Mervyn Maciel was
Vice-President of the Nakuru GI he and his energetic committee felt that there
was much too much emphasis on the social events. That is why they started a
debating society which was very popular. my energetic Committee and I felt that
there was too much emphasis on the social side of things with little or no
interest in the educational side. This is when we started a debating society
which proved very popular and provided a new initiative for our younger
generation.
Kampala
Institute closed down a few years ago and sold the property, the Dar es Salaam
Goan Institute (DI) is still thriving, and Friday nights are the days to go. They still have many social activities, and
the club is quite well-attended.
The Goan Institute (GI) in Nairobi is thriving, thanks to the
collective efforts of its trustees—Ian Fernandes, Roland Braganza, Brian
D’Souza, Cheryl D’Souza, Charles Lobo, and Karim Shamshudin. They spearheaded
the construction of a unique residential project, comprising 48 two-bedroom
apartments for members. Of these, 14 units are owned by the Institute,
generating rental income that sustains the club and funds further development,
while the remaining 34 were sold to GI members.
In addition to this initiative, the trustees have made
significant improvements to the club's infrastructure. They built a secure
boundary wall around the sports ground, replaced the old beer garden with a
state-of-the-art tavern bar, renovated clubhouse facilities, and constructed a
modern sports pavilion. The club continues to host a variety of social and
sporting events and recently completed a well-contested election for its
management positions, reflecting an engaged community.
The Goan Institute still hosts the best New Parties with over
200 guests attending this great party. The club continues to host traditional Christmas
festivities including the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree, parties
for children, and a special free Christmas party for our senior members. All
functions are usually well attended.
Recently a team from Kenya brought in the Goan sensation
Tammy & Roy for a musical extravaganza at the Goan Institute which was
quite well attended.
Most recently a lot of our young adults from Nairobi have
gone to study abroad in various parts of the world including but not limited to
South Africa, Malaysia, Cyprus, Canada, USA, UK, Portugal and Europe. Despite
the migration of many of these youngsters, the community still tries its best
to still meet up and socialise.
The Goan Welfare Society in Nairobi which will be celebrating
their 30 years of existence with a gala dinner on the 19th of October will also
be bringing Andre D’Souza from Goa to regale them. The Goan Welfare Society in
Nairobi is still quite effective and helps many Goan Welfare cases.
Under the Goan Welfare Society, is a security team called
‘Sambau’ comprising of Goans who volunteer to assist with any security matters. They
are quick to assist with accident cases, medical cases, elections and also for
funeral arrangements if called upon to do so.
The Goan Gymkhana in Nairobi is doing well and has achieved
sustainability by offering an astro turf facility for hockey and football,
which has gained significant popularity. Recently, they introduced paddle, a
sport that has quickly caught on and added to their success.
The Mombasa Institute is doing reasonably well also and has
quite a few social functions that bring members together. They have a great
management team who volunteer much of their time to the club. The Goan
Community (the welfare section) is also quite active and helps its members
quite a lot, especially in terms of hospital bills and the arrangement of
funerals.
Besides the
glorious social events, an even greater celebration must be the achievements of
our “Stars Next Door” in local and international hockey (men and women),
soccer, tennis, squash, golf, billiards, snooker, Eastern African cricket,
table tennis, snooker, billiards, and many other sports old aged has robbed me
of my fading memory. Although we were crouched somewhat in respect to the
“bwana mkubwas”, many Goans were named in the Annual Queens Birthday Honours
Lists.
How could we
ever forget the brilliant musicians who entertained all with such brilliance
and panache? And don’t forget the doctors, nurses, specialists, midwives,
dentists, priests, etc, etc.
Many Goans
also succeeded in business and people like Felix Pinto and Tom Fernandes are
names that have endured all that come their way. There are many more super
achievers that my failing memory has robbed me of, I apologise. I am not sure
just how the UK migrants from Eastern Africa are doing socially. I am told
quite often that the new migrants from Goa are like a torrent of celebration
sweeping over the UK. The village feasts used to be a great attraction for a
lot of people. I don’t know if all village feasts are being celebrated. I am
sure my friends from the UK will be quick to tell me.
Here in
Australia, very few of the original Goan migrants attend GOA functions. One
reason is that when they get there, they don’t know anyone. There are not many
familiar faces. Never mind, the new Goans are doing a fine job and NSW GOA and
the others around Australia are doing just fine.
The Perth GOA club here in the West was founded by a
handful of migrants, mostly from Kenya. I am proud that one of them was my
husband Victor Mendonca, along with his amigos Steve DeSouza,
Fernando Aquino, Cyril Dos Santos, and others whose names escape me now.
This Club is still alive and thriving, as far as I am aware.
Correct me if
I am wrong, but the Canadian Goans are probably more successful than any Goan
migrant community doing their best in not only caring for folks who might need
a little help but also in ensuring the traditions of celebrations and church
live on.
In lots of
countries around the world, migrant Goan communities are a vanishing tribe.
Old age and
illness are grim reapers. One of the biggest blows Goans have had weather is
the departure (retirement) of Eddie
Fernandes in Goan communications. His daily Goan Voice newsletter was manna
from heaven and kept the Goan community connected around the world.
There was a
time when 500 or 800 or even a thousand or two or three people would have read
my Facebook and Blogger pages daily. These days I would be lucky sometimes to
get 40 or 50. I am feeling the pinch and am seriously considering axing my
Facebook pages mainly because META seems to be making FB untenable. I may hang
on to Blogger for a while longer. Perhaps the greatest reason for my being down
in the dumps is that I am not getting much input from the community these days,
and I don’t blame them. But such is life.
For most of
us who were forced out of Eastern Africa father time is taking its toll in more
ways than we can remember. News of the passing of many friends strikes a bitter
blow (borne with a prayer and surrender to God’s will) almost daily to Goan
hearts all around the world. Still, those who can, cling with uncanny bravery
to a lifestyle many of us can only dream of. Even old age continues to tease us,
at least in Canada and maybe the UK, we ageing migrants bravely keep alive as
much as we can and celebrate as much as we can those festivities that were to
remain in our hearts and minds. Perhaps in Canada rather than anywhere else,
the lifestyle we knew (maybe an even better lifestyle for some) survives with a
gusto.
A friend told
me recently: “The Goan Overseas
Association is certainly doing a fine job in Toronto. They have a great
vision of bringing the youth to be part of the Goan cultural tradition as well as
looking after the welfare of us ageing seniors by running afternoon programs.
The Westend Seniors Club is another well-run, and supported by many.
Evening events have curtailed many Seniors from attending as night driving is
an issue or the loss of a spouse means they have to ask for rides. Also, the
saying is the crowd is not what they are used to seeing, with many new faces
gracing the events. This is a good thing to keep the Club alive, but
inhibitions in making new friends are hard for some resulting in staying home
and here is where mental illness sneaks in.”
The Dr Ribeiro Goan School events in the UK but especially in
Canada were sensational. However, I hope they can hold on for a few years more.
The GOA of NSW was founded by Goans mainly from Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania and a few from the Gulf States. The response to all their
feast days and sports occasions was tremendous. Victoria and NSW were among the
first to exchange sports visits. NSW was the first to celebrate World Goa
Day except they called it Goencho Bazaar. Today, the GOA survives mainly
because of arrivals from the Gulf, Goa and elsewhere. There are not many East
African Goans at their functions. Once upon a time, it was heaven on earth.
Another innovation in Sydney was the Friday Club in which Tony
Reg D’Souza used to meet with family and friends for a drink every Friday. They
were soon by other interested friends. Today, it is limping along with around
three friends burning the night oil and having a drink or two.
Victoria GOA was a similar case. There are not many East
African Goans at their functions but like NSW they survive and prosper with the
newcomers.
Who can ever
forget the glory days of the Kampala Goan Institute, Dar es Salaam Goan
Institute, the Mombasa Goan Institute, the Nairobi Goan Institute and the
Railway Goan Institute? And, of course, the other little Goan Institutes in
places like Kisumu, Nakuru, Tanga, Jinja, Entebbe, Kitale where Mervyn “Bwana
Karani” was the president for many years etc.
There was a Goan Institute in Nyeri, which was very popular in the
1960s. There were about 13-14 families who were quite social and used to meet
up almost every weekend at the institute. Paloma Fernandes’ father John Gomes
who is now 90 years old was part of this team. When the Goan expatriates left
Nyeri, they sold the club for about Ksh, 300,000 at the time and put it in a UK
bank account. The interest of the money was to be sent to Pillar every year to
pay for a priest to complete his education. To date, this carries on.
It was not always song and dance. When Mervyn Maciel was
Vice-President of the Nakuru GI he and his energetic committee felt that there
was much too much emphasis on the social events. That is why they started a
debating society which was very popular. my energetic Committee and I felt that
there was too much emphasis on the social side of things with little or no
interest in the educational side. This is when we started a debating society
which proved very popular and provided a new initiative for our younger
generation.
Kampala
Institute closed down a few years ago and sold the property, the Dar es Salaam
Goan Institute (DI) is still thriving, and Friday nights are the days to go. They still have many social activities, and
the club is quite well-attended.
The Goan Institute (GI) in Nairobi is thriving, thanks to the
collective efforts of its trustees—Ian Fernandes, Roland Braganza, Brian
D’Souza, Cheryl D’Souza, Charles Lobo, and Karim Shamshudin. They spearheaded
the construction of a unique residential project, comprising 48 two-bedroom
apartments for members. Of these, 14 units are owned by the Institute,
generating rental income that sustains the club and funds further development,
while the remaining 34 were sold to GI members.
In addition to this initiative, the trustees have made
significant improvements to the club's infrastructure. They built a secure
boundary wall around the sports ground, replaced the old beer garden with a
state-of-the-art tavern bar, renovated clubhouse facilities, and constructed a
modern sports pavilion. The club continues to host a variety of social and
sporting events and recently completed a well-contested election for its
management positions, reflecting an engaged community.
The Goan Institute still hosts the best New Parties with over
200 guests attending this great party. The club continues to host traditional Christmas
festivities including the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree, parties
for children, and a special free Christmas party for our senior members. All
functions are usually well attended.
Recently a team from Kenya brought in the Goan sensation
Tammy & Roy for a musical extravaganza at the Goan Institute which was
quite well attended.
Most recently a lot of our young adults from Nairobi have
gone to study abroad in various parts of the world including but not limited to
South Africa, Malaysia, Cyprus, Canada, USA, UK, Portugal and Europe. Despite
the migration of many of these youngsters, the community still tries its best
to still meet up and socialise.
The Goan Welfare Society in Nairobi which will be celebrating
their 30 years of existence with a gala dinner on the 19th of October will also
be bringing Andre D’Souza from Goa to regale them. The Goan Welfare Society in
Nairobi is still quite effective and helps many Goan Welfare cases.
Under the Goan Welfare Society, is a security team called
‘Sambau’ comprising of Goans who volunteer to assist with any security matters. They
are quick to assist with accident cases, medical cases, elections and also for
funeral arrangements if called upon to do so.
The Goan Gymkhana in Nairobi is doing well and has achieved
sustainability by offering an astro turf facility for hockey and football,
which has gained significant popularity. Recently, they introduced paddle, a
sport that has quickly caught on and added to their success.
The Mombasa Institute is doing reasonably well also and has
quite a few social functions that bring members together. They have a great
management team who volunteer much of their time to the club. The Goan
Community (the welfare section) is also quite active and helps its members
quite a lot, especially in terms of hospital bills and the arrangement of
funerals.
Besides the
glorious social events, an even greater celebration must be the achievements of
our “Stars Next Door” in local and international hockey (men and women),
soccer, tennis, squash, golf, billiards, snooker, Eastern African cricket,
table tennis, snooker, billiards, and many other sports old aged has robbed me
of my fading memory. Although we were crouched somewhat in respect to the
“bwana mkubwas”, many Goans were named in the Annual Queens Birthday Honours
Lists.
How could we
ever forget the brilliant musicians who entertained all with such brilliance
and panache? And don’t forget the doctors, nurses, specialists, midwives,
dentists, priests, etc, etc.
Many Goans
also succeeded in business and people like Felix Pinto and Tom Fernandes are
names that have endured all that come their way. There are many more super
achievers that my failing memory has robbed me of, I apologise. I am not sure
just how the UK migrants from Eastern Africa are doing socially. I am told
quite often that the new migrants from Goa are like a torrent of celebration
sweeping over the UK. The village feasts used to be a great attraction for a
lot of people. I don’t know if all village feasts are being celebrated. I am
sure my friends from the UK will be quick to tell me.
Here in
Australia, very few of the original Goan migrants attend GOA functions. One
reason is that when they get there, they don’t know anyone. There are not many
familiar faces. Never mind, the new Goans are doing a fine job and NSW GOA and
the others around Australia are doing just fine.
Correct me if
I am wrong, but the Canadian Goans are probably more successful than any Goan
migrant community doing their best in not only caring for folks who might need
a little help but also in ensuring the traditions of celebrations and church
live on.
In lots of
countries around the world, migrant Goan communities are a vanishing tribe.
Old age and
illness are grim reapers. One of the biggest blows Goans have had weather is
the departure (retirement) of Eddie
Fernandes in Goan communications. His daily Goan Voice newsletter was manna
from heaven and kept the Goan community connected around the world.
There was a
time when 500 or 800 or even a thousand or two or three people would have read
my Facebook and Blogger pages daily. These days I would be lucky sometimes to
get 40 or 50. I am feeling the pinch and am seriously considering axing my
Facebook pages mainly because META seems to be making FB untenable. I may hang
on to Blogger for a while longer. Perhaps the greatest reason for my being down
in the dumps is that I am not getting much input from the community these days,
and I don’t blame them. But such is life.
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